Environmental Health Information Systems Management

Syllabus

PURPOSE

This module will introduce students to the nature and scope of environmental health indictors for decision-making within the national, provincial and municipal spheres of government in South Africa.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of this module the student will be able to:

distinguish between environmental health decision-making and environmental health policy-making;
distinguish between environmental health data, environmental health statistics and environmental health information;
develop environmental health indicators for decision making purposes;
evaluate the effectiveness of environmental health indicators;
explain the environmental health decision-making chain;
obtain and capture relevant environmental health data onto an environmental health information system in the municipal sphere of government in South Africa;
assemble and rate relevant information from information systems on the Internet of the World Health Organisation, relevant NGO?s, the National Department of Health, relevant provincial health departments as well as from relevant municipalities throughout South Africa for decision-making purposes.

CORE CONTENT
Environmental health decision-making and environmental health policy-making.
Environmental health data, statistics and information.
Environmental health indicators.
Environmental health decision-making chain.
Criteria for environmental health indicator development.
DPSEEA conceptual framework for environmental health indicator development.
Information systems for municipalities in South Africa.
Environmental Health information systems of the World Health Organisation, Health Systems Trust, National Department of Health, Provincial Health Departments and municipalities in South Africa.

Evaluation criteria
This module will be assessed during an examination in June/July. 1 x 2-hour examination. To pass this module a minimum final mark of 50% must be obtained. This final mark is made up of a class mark (40%) and the exam mark (60%).

Prerequisites:

Enviro Health Management & Admin III (GHM310)